Weighted practice golf ball including stabilizer fins



3, 1965 H. w. SMITH ETAL 3,198,526

WEIGHTED PRACTICE GOLF BALL INCLUDING STABILIZER FINS Filed April 22, 1963 (4204mm H. JM/W/ I N VENTOR.

United States Patent 3,198,526 WEIGHTED PRACTICE GOLF BALL INCLUDING STABILIZER FINS Harold W. Smith and Caroline H. Smith, both of 2449 Ridgeway Road, San Marino, Calif. Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,482 4 Claims. (Cl. 27319) This invention relates generally to golf-type games, and more particularly concerns short range golf equipment usable for practicing to achieve directional accuracy.

Broadly considered, the invention is usable in a golftype game including a target, and includes a lightweight hollow ball having a perforate shell structure adapted to be struck and thereby propelled by a golf-type club for short range air-flight toward the target, together with a weight carried by the ball for providing momentum tending to carry the ball toward the target. As Will appear, the shell structure acts with the air to create relatively high drag resistance to said flight. The invention also contemplates the provision of fin structure carried to guide the ball during its flight, the weight and fin structure being at generally forward and rearward sides of the ball. A terminally sharp projection may be provided to be integral with at least one of the shell and weight and presented forwardly in flight. Further, the weight and fin structure may be detachably connected to the ball, as will appear, and the weight and fin structure may be carried by a shaft projecting within the interior hollowness of the shell. Accordingly, the weight and fin structure together with the shaft may comprise an integral unit which may be snapped into or otherwise connected to a hollow lightweight plastic ball of perforate shell construction as previously mentioned.

Other objects of the invention include the provision of a moving air actuated sound producing device, such as a whistle, carried by the ball, and typically made integral with a rotatable fin structure adapted to spin during ball flight. Also, means may be incorporated on a standard golf ball to create drag or resistance to ball flight, as will be described. Finally, the invention includes a target in the form of a thin sheet having surface features depicting a golf green and approach area, the sheet extent underlying said features being easily penetrated by the ball carried projection so that the ball may remain at the surface feature side of the sheet. If the weighted ball has no projection, it may nevertheless come to rest on the target sheet as desired.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention, as well as the details of an illustrative embodiment will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partly in section of a ball together with weight and fin structure carried thereby;

FIG. 2 is a view like FIG. 1 of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation showing a modified form of fin structure together with a sound producing device;

FIG. 4 is a perspective showing of the manner in which the ball and target cooperate as the result of the unusual construction thereof; and

FIG. 5 shows a standard golf ball having drag creating means to limit the flight of the ball.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the form of the invention shown includes a hollow lightweight ball having a perforate shell structure 11, typically made of plastic material, and adapted to be struck and thereby propelled by a golf-type club seen at 12 in FIG. 4, for short range air flight toward a target 13 in FIG. 4. Referring back to FIG. 1, the shell structure contains perforations 14 which cause the shell during air flight to create relatively high drag resistance to such flight.

The ball carries a weight for providing momentum tending to carry the ball toward the target, a typical weight being shown at 15 in FIG. 1 as being locally confined proximate one of the perforations 16 in the shell. Further, the weight 15 is shown as snapped or received into the shell with inward and outward flange overhang 17 and 18, over the lip of the shell surrounding the perforation 16, thereby to retain the weight in position. Typically, the weight may be :made of metal or other material of a size suflicient to carry the ball directionally toward the target with a greater degree of accuracy than would be obtainable by use of the ball alone without the addition of the weight. Also, the weight may be at tached to the shell so as to be entirely confined within the sphere defined by the ball outer surface.

The invention also contemplates the provision of fin structure carried to guide the ball during its flight, the weight and fin structure being at generally forward and rearward sides of the ball. One form of fin structure is shown in FIG; 1 to comprise deflectible plastic fins l9 projecting upwardly away from the base 2t to which the fins are mounted, and which is in turn mounted by the ball shell at 21. For this purpose, the base may be cemented or bonded to the ball shell in any suitable manner, or otherwise attached thereto. It is also contemplated that the weight at the downward side of the shell may be bonded thereto. With the ball, weight, and fin structure oriented as shown in FIG. 1, as on a tee 22, it is clear that the lateral side 23 of the ball may be struck by a golf club to compres said side 23 and drive the ball toward the target. The weight 15 will then tend to carry the ball toward the target with increased momentum, while the fin structure will aid in such guidance, and also increase the resistance to air flight, such resistance already being high due to the ball construction, whereby the ball will drop onto a target 13 at a relatively short distance from the tee 22. Thus, it is seen that the game may be played, for example, in the yard area of a home or dwelling, without endangering adjacent dwellings. Also the ball is given directional accuracy more closely approaching that of an ordinary golf ball, without the attendant risk of damaging nearby structures, since short range flight under all conditions is assured.

The invention further contemplates the provision of a terminally sharp projection integral with at least one of the shell and weight and presented forwardly. One such projection is shown at 24 in FIG. 2 as integral with the weight 25 carried by a shaft 26 projecting within the interior hollowness of the shell 27. The shaft also carries the fin structure 28 at the rear of the ball, and means are provided for attaching the structure to the ball, as for example to a localized portion of the shell at 29. Thus, as shown, a rubber or plastic grommet 39 is carried to be snapped into a shell perforation 31 with grommet flange overhang at 32 and 33 inwardly and outwardly of the shell lip surrounding the perforation 31. This attachment may be effected after the weight 25 and projection 24 have been inserted forwardly through the rearward perforation 31 and then through the forward perforation 34' as shown. Accordingly, the assembly of the weight and fin structure to the ball is made very simple, and different size fins may easily be substituted, a larger size fin being shown in broken lines at 35 in FIG. 2, thereby to provide greater resistance to air flight, with corresponding shorter range.

FIG. 4 shows the target 13 in the form of a thin sheet of plastic or the like upon which surface features 36 and 37 depict a golf green and hole. Also, the approach area 38 includes representations of sand traps and bunkers 39 and 40 which may bear target number for scoring purposes.- The thin sheet target 13 is characterized as easily penetrated by the projection 24 on a typical ball as it lands, leaving the ball 27 itself at the surface side of the sheet. The flat outer surface of the weight 15 seen in FIG. 1 may also come to rest on the surface of the target sheet.

FIG. 3 shows the stabilizer fins 41 carried by a base 4-2 which is rotatable on a shaft 43, the latter being mounted to the ball surface 44 as by the structure 45 bondedto said surface, The base 42 incorporates a sound producing device, as for example a whistle, the air inlet holes 46 of which are shown as being rotatable with the base about the shaft 43. Such rotation is effected by suitable angling of the stabilizer fins, so that the latter not only guide the ball, but also rotate the whistle type base to thereby create a whistle tone as the ball flies toward the target;

FIGNS shows a standard golf ball 50 to which fin structure 51 has been attached to create drag or resistance to flight of the ball, the purpose being to shorten the range of the ball when fully stroked by a standard golf club, especially a wood such as a driver. Accordingly, the short range standard ball may be fully stroked at socalled pitch and putt courses, extending their utility. The base 52 of the structure 51 may be permanently attached as by bonding to the ball, or otherwise impermanently attached for replacement purposes. are shown to have air openings 54 to create turbulence 'and increased drag or resistance.

We claim:

1. For use in a golf-type game, a lightweight hollow ball having a perforate shell structure adapted to be struck and thereby propelled by a golf-type club for short range air-flight, a weight carried by the ball for providingmomentum tending to carry the ball forward, the shell structure acting with the air to create relatively high drag resistance to said flight, and fin structure carried to guide the ball during said flight, the weight and fin structure being at generally forward and rearward sides of the ball, the shell structure consisting of plastic material and the weight comprising a one-piece metallic body projecting through one perforation in said shell and having annular The fins 53 flanges respectively at the inner and outer sides of the lip of the shell surrounding said one perforation thereby to retain the weight in position on the shell, the inner flange being only slightly larger than said perforation so as to be capable of being snapped therethough.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1, including an air actuated sound producing device carried by the ball.

3. The invention asdefined in claim 1, in which the weight has a flattened outwardly exposed surface for keeping the ball upright at the point of rest.

4, For use in a golf-type game, a lightweight hollow ball having a perforate shell structure consisting of plastic material and adapted'to be struck and thereby propelled by a golf-type club for short range air-flight, and an attachment to said ball, said attachment including a shaft projecting within the interior hollowness of the ball, a tapered tip carried by the shaft and projecting outwardly of the shell at one side of the ball, a weight carried by the shaft between said tip and the interior hollowness of the ball, guide fin structure carried by the shaft and projecting outwardly at the opposite side of the ,ball, and a fastener integral with the shaft and projecting through a perforation in the shell, said fastener having flanges respectively at the inner and outer sides of the shell lip surrounding said perforation thereby to retain said shaft in position relative to the shell, the inner flange being only slightly larger than said perforation so as to be capable of being snapped therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,193,992 8/16 Cigol 27358 1,542,063 6/25 Knight.

2,432,209 12/47 Osgood 273-l99 X 2,461,826 2/49 Krautter 273200 X 7 2,953,922 9/60 Bronkowski et al. 273-l99 X 3,101,948 8/63 Campbell 273-199 X FOREIGN PATENTS r 509,475 7/39 Great Britain.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN A GOLF-TYPE GAME, A LIGHTWEIGHT HOLLOW BALL HAVING A PERFORATE SHELL STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO BE STRUCK AND THEREBY PROPELLED BY A GOLF-TYPE CLUB FOR SHORT RANGE AIR-FLIGHT, A WEIGHT CARRIED BY THE BALL FOR PROVIDING MOMENTUM TENDING TO CARRY THE BALL FORWARD, THE SHELL STRUCTURE ACTING WITH THE AIR TO CREATE RELATIVELY HIGH DRAG RESISTANCE TO SAID FLIGHT, AND FIN STRUCTURE CARRIED TO GUIDE THE BALL DURING SAID FLIGHT, THE WEIGHT AND FIN STRUCTURE BEING AT GENERALLY FORWARD AND REARWARD SIDES OF THE BALL, THE SHELL STRUCTURE CONSISTING OF PLASTIC MATERIAL AND THE WEIGHT COMPRISING A ONE-PIECE METALLIC BODY PROJECTING THROUGH ONE PERFORATION IN SAID SHELL AND HAVING ANNULAR 